This invention relates generally to printing machines having driven rollers, and more particularly to a roller assembly for distributing a liquid such as an inking or dampening agent on the driven rollers in the machine.
In printing machines liquid distributing rollers are known which are rotated by friction with adjoining driven rollers and having gears arranged in the interior of the roller jacket to impart a predetermined axial back and forth movement to the roller. Such known liquid distributing rollers, however, require considerable amount of component parts for the driving and reciprocating gear mechanisms. Moreover, the diameter of the prior art liquid distributing rollers of this type has to be increased in order to accommodate the gear mechanism. Another liquid distributing roller is known which is driven via a spur gear attached to the shaft of the roller and engaging the gear train for the inking rollers. The axial reciprocating movement of the liquid distributing roller is accomplished by means of a two-stage gear mechanism arranged in the interior of the jacket of the distributing roller and cooperating with a reciprocating cam mechanism.